Credit: The Associated Press

This publicity image released by NBC shows Lon Snowden, father of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden on the "Today," show in New York on Friday, July 26, 2013. Snowden said there's been a concerted effort by some members of Congress to "demonize" his son.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's national security team acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that, when investigating one suspected terrorist, it can read and store the phone records of millions of Americans.

Since it was revealed recently that the National Security Agency puts the phone records of every American into a database, the Obama administration has assured the nation that such records are rarely searched and, when they are, officials target only suspected international terrorists.